I have this view of Iowans as practical people. People without a lot of nonsense. Straightforward, honest, and hardworking. It’s a stereotype to be sure. But then again, some of those stereotypes are reinforced by literature. So maybe I’m not totally off-base.
In college, I would take weekend visits to my grandparents’ house. I usually brought along homework of some sort. One weekend I brought along a book I was reading for one of my classes. It was called Making Hay. Grandpa picked up the book, studied it for a minute and turned to my grandma. “Dorothy, look at this. Verlyn Klinkenborg.” “Who?” I asked. “Oh, he used to play with your uncle when they were kids.” I almost asked if they were sure it was the same guy, but then I realized that the chances of two people having that name were slim.
For Christmas this year, my husband got me the book Prairie Fires since I have been a fan of the Little House books since I was young. In it, the author discusses both Laura Ingalls Wilder and Hamlin Garland‘s connection to Burr Oak, Iowa. My grandparents introduced me to Hamlin Garland’s books when I was young. We went on a tour of his house. I can barely remember the trip, but my copy of Rose of Dutcher’s Coolly has moved with me for nearly 30 years. 
The practical people that named some of these recipes were not nearly as eloquent as the writers which is why we have recipes named things like “Darned Good Candy” and “Cherry Dessert.”
So what is Cherry Dessert? It’s a nut and cherry filled cake topped with a jammy cherry sauce and whipped cream. It is delicious and addicting.
The first time I made it, I mixed everything up together (with cherries from my trees) and put it into a prepared 9×13 pan. Before I even got it all into the pan, I realized that I probably should’ve used a smaller pan. The cake layer was about equal to the whipped cream layer. The bad part about this was that it took a large piece (or two) to leave me feeling satisfied and the cherry dessert would call my name as it sat in my fridge. 
The second time I made it, I had much better results in a smaller 8×8 pan. I neglected to let the cake cool completely before adding the whipped cream to the top. The results were a bit runny and messy, but nonetheless incredible.
The sweetness of the cake, the tartness of the cherries, and the creamy layer all combine to make a dessert that satiates every dessert craving except chocolate. It’s cool and a bit crunchy. This is going to be a staple at my house during cherry season. 
Cherry Dessert
1 c sugar
1 egg
1 TB butter, melted
1 c flour
1 t soda
1/4 t salt
1 c sour cherries (reserve juice)
3/4 c nuts
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes
Cool. Cover with whipped cream.
Heat juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 TB flour, 1 TB cornstarch. Cook until thick. Add 1 T butter. Chill, spread over cream.
Being a very modern woman, I’ve dabbled in other types of brittle. We’ve made bacon almond brittle with hints of rosemary and chilis. We’ve tried pecan brittle with a bit of orange rind. I’ve even tried to make brittle in the off-season. Somehow, though, we always find our way back to peanut brittle. It’s crunchy and caramel-y. It’s chunky, salty, and sweet. This is better than the weird boxes of peanut brittle you can pick up at the drug store. It’s worth risking the burns. 
Another thing to note, I had a heck of a time finding appropriate peanuts to put in the brittle. I just wanted some Spanish peanuts. I feel like I used to see them all over, but I went to a couple of different stores and didn’t see them. I used cocktail peanuts instead, lightly salted. 
There are an insane amount of sugar cookie recipes available. This one is one that you should not make according to the recipe. If you follow the recipe, the thing you make will be a sweet quiche-y sort of thing. It will not be cookies. The recipe is missing flour. I don’t know how the proofreader missed that. After consulting various cookbooks, I determined that for the amount of fat and eggs in the recipe, about 5 cups of flour was the right amount. I was slightly wrong. I think 4 1/2 would’ve been better. I added a couple of tablespoons of milk to hold everything together.
The first time I heard about Church Windows cookies (are they cookies or are they candy?) was after our tree fell on our neighbor’s fence. It might be the biggest event this neighborhood has seen in a while. It was such a big event that as we were cutting it down, neighbors from the senior housing facility put out their chairs, plugged in their crockpots, and sat outside to watch. I treated them to some 
No matter what the recipe says about double boiler, melt the chocolate in the microwave. It’s so much easier. Put it in for a minute, stir it after a minute, it might need another 15 or 30 seconds, but it won’t need much more. Stirring these bad boys is hard. It’s messy and involved. 
Ok, so flavor…think something like rocky road. But vaguely fruity with coconut. They aren’t bad, but probably best in small doses.
This is one of those candies that requires no heat. If you are going to use your handy Kitchen Aid, you want to use the paddle attachment until everything comes together. At that point you can switch to the bread hook to knead the candy. 
That’s what these cookies are like. Snuggling with your oldest on the couch, with a Hallmark Christmas movie on, and the tree lit. The smell of cookies in the air and the sound of your middle child reading a bedtime story to his younger sister. Just light perfection. 
10 Cents Worth of Dates 